UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Wind
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain 風林火山: The Evolution of Environmental Management and Local Society in Central Japan, 1450-1650 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by John Elijah Bender Committee in charge: Professor Luke S. Roberts, Chair Professor Anthony Barbieri-Low Professor Peter S. Alagona Professor Katherine Saltzman-Li September 2017 The dissertation of John Elijah Bender is approved: _________________________________________________________________ Anthony Barbieri-Low _________________________________________________________________ Peter S. Alagona _________________________________________________________________ Katherine Saltzman-Li _________________________________________________________________ Luke S. Roberts, Committee Chair August 2017 Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain 風林火山: The Evolution of Environmental Management and Local Society in Central Japan, 1450-1650 Copyright © 2017 by John Elijah Bender iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Most scholarly acknowledgements pages, certainly the majority of those I have seen, thank family and dearest friends last. It has always seemed a bit odd to me, as this group comprises a core network of love, companionship, and support, without which none of my academic endeavors would have been possible. So I am going to break with tradition and begin by thanking my wife Lena. She is my best friend and fiercest advocate. I am every day grateful that she is there walking with me through this crazy journey called life. There are many other people I love and care for, who have contributed to the successful completion of this project. I will name but a few of the most influential, acknowledging that I am indebted to many more. My sister Annah, a brilliant and creative force, has always been in my life. She has been an unending source of advice, encouragement, friendship, and has profoundly affected by development as a person and as a scholar. She is one of the smartest people I know, probably the best writer to boot. My friend Ryan Abrecht has had a similarly broad impact. Ryan was one of first graduate school friends at the UCSB, and we later shared a home. He once drove me to the hospital in the middle of the night after a motorcycle accident, and he more recently performed my wedding. I am sure he got sick of hearing about water disputes and typhoons and so forth at some point, and will be very happy to know this thing is finally done. Some other cherished graduate school companions include Brian Tyrrell, a terrific person to hike around the Grand Canyon with, and good friend to stand in solidarity with while navigating the utterly terrifying academic job market; Hanni Halil, one of the most resilient and kindest people I know; Viktor Shamgin, my ever wise and generous senpai; and Travis Seifman, a thoughtful friend and talented fellow Japanese history nut. I also want to mention Nicole Pacino, Timothy Daniels, Munther Al-Sabbah, Tim Paulson, Jessica Marter-Kenyon, and Dusty Hoesely – all of whom were key players in the journey that has culminated in the completion of this project. I miss you all and very much look forward to future fellowship. My friend and mentor Luke Roberts has had a more direct impact than anyone else on the ideas laid out in the following pages. Thank you for years of patient, nurturing instruction. Luke taught me the basics from how to read a medieval text, to how to develop and express ideas as a scholar. My other advisers deserve a great deal of credit as well. Anthony Barbieri-Low was extremely helpful and supportive, Peter Alagona was responsible for introducing me to this whole thing called “environmental history,” and Katherine Saltzman-Li has been a stalwart source of encouragement, keen advice, and incisive feedback. I have learned a great deal from each of you, and am forever indebted for all you invested in me as teachers. And, thanks in no small part to you, I will not be requesting another round of letters this fall. I want to extend a very special thanks to Professor Sasamoto Shōji, who acted as a sponsor during a research year in Japan on a Fulbright scholarship. I was, and continued to be, completely awed by Professor Sasamoto’s breadth of knowledge. But even more impressive is how he is able to weave so many complex, seemingly disparate elements into fascinating analysis. The way Professor Sasamoto poses historical questions left a big impression, and I will continue to ponder the many lessons iv imparted for years to come. Thank you for your incredible generosity, which was almost singularly responsible for such an enjoyable, productive year in Matsumoto. Regarding that year abroad, I owe a huge debt to the people at the Japan-US Educational Commission, who administer Fulbright funds. Jinko Brinkman in particular was incredibly helpful, and without her logistical support, I would not have been able to enjoy a year of study at Shinshū. Thank you as well to Kate McDonald, Sabine Fruhstuck, and Paul Spickard – all terrific teachers who took the time to offer guidance even though there was no obligation to do so. And, going back to the days when my knowledge of Japan and understanding of history was yet in infancy, thank you to Wayne Farris and Dominic Capeci. I have had the great fortune of sharing ideas and learning from this talented group of experts. There are so many more influential teachers, simply too many to name. Finally, I wish to dedicate this work to my daughter Danika. Daddy finished what for him has been this monumental undertaking just a few weeks before you were born, but it has not seemed quite as important since you have been here. I cannot wait to talk ideas with you someday soon. Thank you all, Elijah Bender August 2017 v VITA OF JOHN ELIJAH BENDER August 2017 EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in History, Missouri State University, May 2005 (cum laude) Master of Arts in History, University of Hawaii at Manoa, May 2008 Doctor of Philosophy in History, University of California, Santa Barbara, September 2017 (expected) PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 2005-2008: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, University of Hawaii at Manoa 2011-2017: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, University of California, Santa Barbara 2017-present: Assistant Professor, History Department, Concordia College MASTERS THESIS “The Last Man Standing: Causes of Daimyo Survival in Sixteenth Century Japan” AWARDS Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, summer 2006 University of California, Santa Barbara Special Regent’s Fellowship, 2010-2015 Japan Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship, spring 2012, spring 2013 Richard and Jeanne Williams Endowed Graduate Fellowship, summer 2013 University of California, Santa Barbara History Associates Graduate Fellowship, summer 2013 Japan Foundation Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, 2014-2015 (declined in favor of Fulbright) Fulbright Institute of International Education Graduate Research Fellowship (Japan), 2014-2015 FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: premodern Japanese history Studies in Japanese history with Professors Luke Roberts, Kate McDonald, and Katherine Saltzman-Li Studies in Chinese history with Professor Anthony Barbieri-Low Studies in World history with Professors Harold Marcuse and Paul Spickard Studies in Environmental history with Professor Peter S. Alagona vi ABSTRACT Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain 風林火山: The Evolution of Environmental Management and Local Society in Central Japan, 1450-1650 by John Elijah Bender What role did contests over environment play in the large scale transition from war to peace during Japan’s long sixteenth century? This study examines the question by focusing upon how people dealt with environmental challenges and disputes during an age of instability, institutional failure, and war. Japan’s late medieval (ca. 1450-1600) environmental management regime underwent important changes that proved crucial in ending a long period of warfare and formed the basis of an even longer era of stability. The construction of stable patterns of environmental management depended upon a significant increase in de facto local autonomy, coupled with the rise of authoritarian regional states. Although these developments sometimes stood in opposition to one another, they ultimately combined to reorganize the environmental management regime in Kai and Shinano Provinces. Central Japan became a crossroads of multiple struggles during the late medieval period. The Takeda warrior house of Kai Province eventually emerged from a pool of contenders to claim supremacy in the region in the first few decades of the sixteenth vii century. Like other regional magnates (daimyo), the Takeda had an interest in ending warfare and tapping into local productivity within their territory. They did so in ways that effectively turned the Takeda into local patrons who had the means to act as a guarantor of local interests. Communities had been largely forced to fend for themselves during the civil war, or Warring States, era (1467-1600). As a result, they developed administrative and defensive procedures independently. The Takeda worked to integrate these communities by leaving most of those local practices in place, deputizing a class of officials, and negotiating set tax rates on local production. Residents did surrender some of their prerogatives, but collectively gained a more favorable institutional framework. Takeda and their officials were able to mediate local disputes, something that previously